Sunday, 29 June 2014

Sunday Review

David Subacchi started our week off with a poem about Gerry Conlon which was a good thing for me because I knew very little about the case and had to look it up. This sort of event is entering my thinking in a subtitle of "A Poetry 24 moment" I love the opening of the poem contrasting "news" and things that actually matter.In between news of the European Union

And the World Cup latest scores

They reported your death

For those of us of a certain age the words "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" bring to mind some gloriously funny moments. Now these have been added to by Neil Fullwood's "Nobody Expects the Poetry Inquisition"This a very funny poem and very well written. In particular I like the, dare I say, Pythonesque:

Tomas has published several pamphlets,

including the Alhambra Award-winning

Confess, You Heretic Bastard.

Sue Norton's poem "Zombie Boy" was Wednesday's poem and is suitably macabre given what it's about. I like how it doesn't judge the tattooed person but also doesn't praise them, just says what is. The final stanza very skilfully points out some of the irony involved, however. That is a good poet.

White bones on black highlight

the sleek, toned bodies of dancers

too young to worry

that bounding into their midst

comesmemento mori.

E R Olsen's poem "Haram" showed how a poem that has brevity does not always lack power. Some of the power of this poem comes from the mind of the reader as the images in the poem provoke a reaction. You get the feeling of how it must feel right from the beginning

I did not want to come here

Wherever here is

My town was like a cocoon

We the caterpillars

Sue Norton's poem "Branched Off "about stagnation in parts of England was Friday's poem. The insights it makes apply to a lot of this world that is getting left behind as politicians go for the tunnel vision of economic growth being the only prize.

We shunt past a derelict factory.

Grey clouds are moving

faster than we can.

I hope you all have good weeks and keep sending in submissions. We have passed the middle of Winter in New Zealand and are looking forward to Spring. If we do not get washed out to sea by the rain.